Member Chris Wood is currently building up a very impressive collection of model buses out-shopped in the old Blue and White Scottish Express livery and is his next project is Western Scottish Duple Bodied Volvo B10M, V116 NCS116W.
Can anyone help Chris with this question?
V116 was re-bodied from a Dominant 3 to a Caribbean in 1983.
Can anyone confirm the positioning of the toilet on this vehicle. I believe it may have been sunken in the rear offside corner? This vehicle is my next modelling project
(see image of the month) and I’m trying to find to source early photos of this vehicle from the 1984-5 period and particularly a rear view and any interior photos. Any general information on this vehicle would also be welcome.
Chris Wood, September 2020
To get Chris started here’s a view of SV116 NCS116W parked at Edinburgh Bus Station wearing her new Duple Caribbean body that Chris mentioned earlier.
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Thank you for taking the time to find this article, very interesting and confirms the positioning of the toilet.
As well as modelling NCS116W I intend to do at least one of the Leyland Caribbean’s A165/6TGE. Both models will be in the ‘London‘ blue and white livery as I prefer this style to the later Citylink colours.
I’ve seen the photos of SL166 in the gallery which have been particularly useful for reference especially the rear end views and from my own photos there are clear differences in the livery in particular the positioning of the Saltire Scottish logo on the sides compared with NCS116W.
I also note that the standard front grill on KV116 has been changed very early on from being re-bodied and replaced with what looks like an adapted Y type grill? Also the rear offside emergency exit door has been either been altered or changed from a solid door to what you see in the photo above with a window in the lower section. Can anyone throw any light as to why these changes were made?
After much searching we finally found the following article in the Western Enthusiasts Club newsletter, Western News (No 23) dated September – October 1983.
LONDON BY CARIBBEAN
By D. Adamson
A recent trip to London provided the opportunity to, once again, sample Western’s Glasgow – London service but much to my delight ‘Coach 7’ on which I was to travel was not one of the expected Dominant 3’s or Goldliners, but KV116 (NCS116W), the Volvo B10M recently re-bodied by Duple with a Caribbean C47Ft body. Waiting in the queue, I couldn’t help overhearing two fellow passengers (female) complaining that they couldn’t see any toilet and were going to complain about it! In fact the sunken location of the toilet caused quite a bit of confusion amongst passengers.
On boarding the coach there was further confusion as the seating layout of KV116 does not follow the usual Western pattern of numbers 1 and 2 NEARSIDE and numbers 1 and 2 OFFSIDE etc. Instead a straight numbers 1 to 47 layout is used, hence confusion. Unfortunately some passengers who had booked seats in the ‘Smoking’ area thus ended up in the ‘Non Smoking’ area.
The run to London was incident free. Having left Glasgow 13 minutes late we arrived at Charnock Richard services 15 minutes early. The refreshment stop was left, on time, at 02:25 and arrival in London was just before 06:00, with the second coach not far behind.
Overall, The Caribbean created a very good impression, the seats were comfortable, leg room was excellent whilst the engine noise was commendably low. In fact at motorway cruising speed it was almost silent. There was little wind noise, the Caribbean has a plug type entrance door, and the overhead air vents were very effective.
Marks out of 10? Had it not been for the confusion over the seat numbering it would have earned 100%, but reluctantly due to this fault, I would have to give it 8. Let’s hope that Duple get the seat numbering right next time round!